The Capitol Hill Block Party Post: DAY 1

Mhmm... pretty good. I write this Saturday night at midnight. I wish I was at the after party with the good men of Spank Rock but if it were an all-ages thing I'm sure there would be way too many annoying people still and I totally understand...
But let's get started! I'm here to tell you how my two days were blow by blow with pictures and videos and MP3's! Pretty great, right?

Friday:
I already expected this day to be a warm-up day but it was still a blast. I went in with one of my closest redhead friends, Fiona. We expected to meet up with more people, we kinda did, but it was very much just our thing that day. Her dad's super cool, he gave me six dollars which bought us pretzels! We browsed some booths (got free Sno Con shirts!!! and way too many freebies then we could deal with.) and waited for Natalie Portman's Shaved Head to start up. We met up with our friend who also volunteers at KEXP with me, Justina and headed over to the Vera stage for some fun.
Natalie Portman's Shaved Head:
What else did I expect? They put on a great show like they always do. For those unfamiliar, they're a great local dancey pop... I can't really pin down their sound. It's fun and magical, I guess that's how they'd describe it. There were some annoying people that thought it was appropriate to try and mosh (people like this popped up all over the place. With some acts it's understandable but at a show like this it gets really annoying). They just returned from a trip to L.A. to record a debut full-length which is really exciting. David has some keyboard problems and Commander Slam Dunk came out and busted a move with Shaun. Good fun. Unfortunately this was the time I realized I had brought my camera but had left the battery at home! My brother took a few pictures today though, so I'll post them up. MP3's:
Sophisticated Side Ponytail (demo)
Beard Lust (Demo)






Next up was...
Matt and Kim:
We ran over immediately after NPSH cause they had already started. We caught the end of Yea Yeah which was really the only song I knew. I didn't think their sound varied too much and it was pretty fun. I liked watching Kim play the drums, she looks so focused and happy and she has a really straight-forward and interesting style that I really dug. And Matt's pretty funny. He talked to the crowd without seeming pretentious or annoying. They seemed like they were just happy to be there and their basic keyboard/drums pop went perfectly with my mood. But then he took off his shirt which didn't really fit... Oh well, whatever floats his boat. I think they'd be way better at a house party or something small. Playing on a stage with a barrier didn't really suit them.
Yea Yeah
5k

During Matt and Kim, Justina introduced us to some of her friends and we stayed with them for awhile. We got a pretzel and some water and realized we were reaaaally tired. We leaned against a window in the back and watched...

The Blood Brothers:
To be honest I was not really excited about them. Sometimes I like them, sometimes I just don't really care for that kind of noise, but I was really impressed by their set. I got really into a lot of the songs. It was a different kind of show for me than it was for the people in the pit. I would have liked to go in to the crowd but I was just so tired, so was just about everyone else. I recognized a few songs (very few). Those dual vocals things, man that's a lot of energy going on. I was pretty sure they had more members though... I'll put some more time into listening to them, I don't think I gave them a fair enough chance when I listened to them before.
Love Rhymes with Hideous Car Wreck
Laser Life

Blue Scholars:
Oh boy! I get to see these guys for like the fifth time! Not that they're terrible but they play everywhere in Seattle, it's hard not to see them if you live here. We started making our way up cause I kind of wanted a good spot for Silversun Pickups. It's funny how much taller hip-hop fans are than all the scene kids who were just there for Blood Brothers. As soon as the Blood Brothers ended everyone got about a foot or two taller and made it really difficult to see. More rambling from politicians trying to be cool by introducing bands for the "youngsters" and then Sabzi came out. It bugs me how little he does as a DJ, live. A scratch here and there and then he just stands back and adds backing vocals. There'a a whole lot of equipment onstage that seems really unnecsarry cause all he really needs is a truntable and mixer to scratch and another to push play. It was pretty much like every other time I've seen them. There's a ton of people rapping along with the lyrics and a lot of good energy. It was an OK show, I guess, I'm just a little tired of it. Their new album sounds a lot better, not to say I dislike their other stuff.
sorry... I'm too lazy to find some MP3's or convert the songs I have. go look on Hype Machine if you want them so bad.

Silversun Pickups:
When Blue Scholars ended, Me and Fiona pushed to the front, or as far as we could get but we accidentally forget to tell Justina and co. and I still feel a little bad about that. We got kinda close and I saw my brother. Then we realized we were still tired and we had to wait for the set-up, which was really ugggggh. It smelled like muffins and then it smelled like body odor. When the politician came out he was even more unwelcome than usual. When he said how are you doing tonight some guy behind me shouted "Your Moms!!!" and even though he was drunk, I don't see it making much more sense when your drunk. Then out came SSPU.
I still think it's wierd that they were headlining a day. It would have made much more sense for the Blue Scholars to headline cause people seemed way more amped to see them. They were OK. Pretty good, I guess. They played last year and the sound was terrible and they were just a filler band on the mainstage, so it's funny to see the atmosphere totally change. The lead guy is really the head of the show and is totally comfortable stealing the spotlight from the other members, which is OK cause he's actually kind of funny and really good at talking to crowds. People thought it would be fun to swing waterbottles around and get water on everyone, which might look cool but is really uncomfortable when you get hit with water on a comfortably cool night. A lot of dumb people were doing that moshing and clapping at times when you shouldn't mosh or clap. Is it just me or is the whole mosh pit thing really out of place at shows now? I just feel like a lot of people make a fool of themselves and bump into a ton of people and get on their nerves. Some shows, I guess it fits but it's really starting to get on my nerves when people think moshing is what makes a good show.
But the show was good. They played a lot of standards from Carnavas which was predictable but I really don't like that one as much as their EP, but for the encore they played all songs of the EP which was really great. They did All the Go In-Betweens, Comeback Kid, and Creation Lake which perfectly ended the night.
Kissing Families
Creation lake
Common Reactor





But I was aware how much more Saturday was going to rule, and it did!
But soon... I'll get Saturday's blog up. Way better bands so better MP3's, and also I've got better pictures and videos.

Pre-Block Party post

Friday and Saturday, I will be at the Capitol Hill Block Party, and I'm supper pumped. I look forward to this every summer. Check out the line-up! So for the next three days I will be taking a break from blogging (actually probably more). But as a result you will get two very very awesome blogs reporting the whole festival almost blow by blow, with pictures and MP3's, so you can practically experience it yourself if you didn't go. So tpday I'll leave you with a few songs I've been digging lately and be off.




Sage Francis w/ Eyedea and Slug - Embarassed
Kind of Like Spitting - Grapes
The Roots - Dynamite!
Walter Meego - Looking Through a Keyhole
Sparklehorse - Cow
Minus the Bear - Throwin Shapes (Off Planet of Ice which isn't out yet!)

Right in your very house

I love when albums are recorded in a way that makes it feel very personal, like a home recording. The poor quality and clips of dialogue from the band in between tracks makes it feel like you're watching them record it. Some of my favorite albums are like this, and some are my favorite for that very reason. I'm going to post some tracks from my favorite albums with that feel. Some might not really be home recordings, like Death Cab's We have The Facts and We're Voting Yes was recorded in the Hall of Justice, eve if it's Chris Walla's studio, they still had a studio.

Death Cab for Cutie - Title Track
Man this album is so good. It's one of a kind for Death Cab. Slow and ark, way more so then usual. You can really hear how they were influenced by Slint on this record. The dialogue at the beginning kind of sets the mood for the whole album for me, it makes it feel really personal.
Buy We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes

Elliott Smith - Good to Go
My favorite of Eliott's albums is his self titled. The recording has just a little hiss but the guitars sound great. And for the drums it's just a snare and a crash cymbal and it sounds amazing. It' so sparse, it showcases Eliott at his best.
Buy Elliott Smith

The Microphones - The Pull
I don't know why this album has that recorded at home feeling. Maybe it's just cause it was recorded with a ton of friends. I really don't know if it was recorded with studio time or not, but it has a really cool vibe throughout the whole thing. Pretty rough sounding, but also at the same time it's really captivating.
Buy It Was Hot, We Stayed in the Water

Modest Mouse - Karma's Payment Plan
I love this EP. I feel it's really overlooked when people talk about their releases. The vibe's pretty much the same as all the other tracks, feels very personal. I especially love all the 30 second-ish tracks of cool noise in between all the tracks. Makes it feel a lot more complete. This is also one of my all time favorite Modest Mouse tracks.
Buy The Fruit that Ate Itself

Cocorosie - Madonna
I can practically see the bathroom where they recorded this with a bathtub full of equipment. Cocorosie always have a really cool sound and this album is the most interesting because it was recorded just by themselves in a bathtub.
Buy La Maison de Mon Rêve

Damien Jurado - Treasures of Gold
I love Damien and this album is so different from his other stuff. It has tracks like this one but then some that are just kind of noisy and he has this yelley type of singing. It was either this album or Ghost of David I had to choose between but I ultimately listen to this one more
Buy Waters Ave. S

Beck - Beercan
Mmm so funky. My favorite cut off of Mellow Gold. That whole album just feels so fun. I have no idea where he lived but by Whiskeyclone, Hotel City 1997, I get the feeling it was pretty boring and he was just trying to have some fun. Probably the best album Beck put out, just because of it's really cheap feeling.
Buy Mellow Gold


MP3's are up! Hotlinkfiles.com was down for a bit today but have no fear!

I <3 YACHT

Should I start posts with titles like that? Spelling out I like EYE was kind of lame. Whatever. I do <3 href="http://www.theveraproject.org/">Vera Project held as a grand opening for their new location. On the bill was: Ghost to Falco (surprisingly good, mellow band), Tiny Vipers (Yeah, she's good), Holy Ghost Revival (gross 70's nostalgia), and then YACHT. I didn't know YACHT started in the other room during Holy Ghost Revival's set which bummer me out so we caught him half way through. But man, I was caught off guard. I instantly loved him. All the songs were new to my ears and I remembered each and every one when I Believe in You. Your Magic is Real. came out later. After that show though, I bought his Mega LP which was a little bit different. I didn't know that his previous albums were all instrumental and the songs were usually under 2 minutes. I really didn't like it at first but it got more and more interesting with each listen. Now I really like it. My friends had to leave then so I didn't get to cath Mt. Eerie but oh well (he's playing another vera show in october! i love the vera!). I'm also very excited for Yacht's return to the Vera in September. He came to town with LCD Soundsystem and then with Architecture in Helsinki and did the What the Heck Fest in Anacortes but somehow I missed all those, and I'm especially miffed about the LCD Soundsystem show. I really have no clue why I wasn't there.
If you like YACHT just like I do, then hopefully I'll have some MP3 goodies you didn't have before, and if you're new to YACHT then I've got my personal fav's for you! Enjoy

Totally Stoked (On You) Off of "Mega"
I Love a Computer Off of "Mega"
It's Coming to Get You Off of I Believe in You. Your Magic is Real.
Platinum (Feat. Harvey Birdman) Off of I Believe in You. Your Magic is Real.
See a Penny Pick it Up (Architecture in Helsinki Remix)
Architecture in Helsinki - Heart it Races (Yacht's Should I Coco Mix)
Remember What This Feels Like Off of Super Warren XXXIV

I'm not an Indie Snob!!!/New Sunset Rubdown

I'm really sorry about yesterday. I was actually out of the hosue doing stuff! This week was really boring so I was really excited about actually doing something this weekend. So sorry I missed my post yesterday, so I'll push two things into one post doay.
I was talking with my friend the other day and he kept asking me about bands, and if I liked them, and I tended to answer that they were OK at first but then they got huge and I got annoyed with them (cause he asked me about bands like Wolfmother and the Arctic Monkeys). He now thinks I only like undergroud music and only listen to stuff no one's ever heard of just to be cool. To be honest that really offends me. Not only that, it's untrue (cause I listen to Coldplay. Come on). I'm going to prove him wrong by posting about bands that everyone likes that I like too, because it's good music! Simple as that. I don't listen to Arctic Monkeys because all their songs are the same, and I got tired of hearing that same song re-done and played everywhere.
OK:

Death Cab for Cutie - Lightness (Demo)
It's safe to say that Death cab are my favorite band. I was into them before Plans came out, and even though Plans may not have been my favorite, I still enjoy it time to time and don't rant and rave about how garbage it is like some snobs who'll drill a death cab fan about stuff like "Well... how long have you known about them? I was into them when the Photo Album came out. Do you even know that album?!" I don't like those kinds of people, and you meet a lot while waiting in line at shows. Anyways this is one of my favorite tracks, partly because the original is off Transatlanticsm, which makes me top all time albums list. The demo's also really good and pretty different.

The White Stripes - Now Mary
Seriously, who doesn't like the White Stripes? I haven't met many people. You know why??? Cause they're good! White Blood Cells is classic, I don't know if they can ever top that, but Icky Thump came pretty darn close, a pretty stellar new album, especially after Get Behind Me Satan. Seriously, everyone everywhere seems to like them.

Coldplay - X&Y
Now I don't get why people hate Coldplay so much. I know the theme of this post is about music that everybody likes, but I guess it's more music that everyone knows. EVeryone knows Coldplay and I get a lot of shit for liking them. People even hate X&Y which I still don't get, I think it's way better than A Rush of Blood to the Head (that album is bleh). But everyone seems to like Parachutes, even if they hate Coldplay. This is my favorite track of X&Y.

Beck - Scarecrow (El-P Remix)
Well this one's easy. He's really popular because he's really good again. He got a little lazy with the Information but all his other albums are really solid and you can hear the hard work that went into them. Totally an innovator. This song is so darn catchy, I get the chorus stuck in my head almost every day.

Led Zeppelin - The Battle of Evermore
I think everyone's noticed the new (not really new actually) trend of old bands like Pink Floyd and Zeppelin by looking at the huge amount of teens wearing "vintage" pre-faded shirts all over the place. I went through Zepplin phase in 7th grade, but I still like them. Seriously just listen to this track. Not only is it huge and epic, it's on a mandolin and it's about Lord of the Rings. Awesome. I get a cabby.


On another note, here's a new Sunset Rubdown song. I got it via P4k, but I have the MP3! Mwa ha ha. Man this is good. It's a little eh at first but around the 2 minute mark it really picks up. Key changes galore, oh my gosh! Spencer Krug is really in a league of his own, I really can't imagine how he sits down and writes a piece like this with his band. Here's the surprisingly un-Sunset Rubdown-ish new album cover for Random Spirit Lover

And here's the song: Up On Your Leopard, Upon the End of Your Feral Days
And what a song title it is.

Album Feature: It's a Wonderful Life

SPARKLEHORSE! I love Sparklehorse, and this album was the album sparked my undying love for them. I knew Danger Mouse really liked them, and I had a song I liked by them, and DM was all into this record so I thought I'd check it out from the library. I had no idea I would totally devour the album and hold it so close to my heart as I do now. I didn't get into it right away, which is what normally happens with great albums, I thought it was a bit slow and didn't suit me too well. I really don't know where my change of heart came from. I just remember the perfect rainy Seattle day and sitting in my room as the whole album played through and I just toally vibed out with it. It's one of those albums that really gets in your head and changes your mood. I get a really wierd feeling when I listen this album, almost like depression, but I'm happy. I really can't describe it, but that's how good this album is!
The mix of lo-fi and high quality recording is perfect, Mark Linkous knows what sounds good and how to get that sound. It starts with the self-titled track which can be equally sad as it can be happy (it's funny like that). It's a little funny at first listen, or it was for me. I couldn't really get into it, probably because it was just so different, but now that's the reason I love that song, there's no other song I've ever heard that sounds at all like it. Then it jumps into the most likely single on the album, Gold Days which also has that happy-or-sad thing going on, but way more poppy with a great instrument called the Mellotron, which totally brings many Sparklehorse songs to life. Every song on this album is great, and features great cameos from PJ Harvey (Piano Fire) and Tom Waits (Dog Door, Morning Hollow) and just amazing production.
The funny thing is, I've noticed when people talk about Sparklehorse they usually talk about every album but this one. It's usually about the simple poppy sound on the first record, or the really eclectic sounding Good Morning Spider, or raving about how great the new album is, but no one really gives the album much attention, which is a shame because in my oppinion it's definitely the most beautiful album, and it's the album that flows the best, song to song. Although it's a good amount darker and more depressing than his other albums, I think that's why it's so good, and I think Mark does the best writing sad and dark music.
I'll give you a few songs to sample from the album, but I highly reccomend that you buy it, it's worth it in the long run.

It's a Wonderful Life
Gold Days
Piano Fire
Eyepennies (sorry about the skipping sound)
Dog Door
King of Nails (Video)

Buy It's a Wonderful Life (You can get a used copy for only 4 bucks!)
And here is an awesome Sparklehorse fansite.

Uninspired

I'm starting to get why it's difficult to post daily, and I understand why a lot more people don't do it. But I'm trucking on with it. Here are some songs I've been enjoying as of late:

Aesop Rock - None Shall Pass
Lavender Diamond - Rise in Springtime
Eliott Smith - Christian Brothers
David Bazan - Bands With Managers (Daytrotter Session)
Madvillain - Fancy Clown

Wednsday Rarities

Ok, here are more random songs that aren't really released or are just hard to find or whatever. I'm feeling lazy so I'm not going to write a lot.







Sparklehorse - Return To Me (Live)
I don't know where this was but the qualitiy is really good. They totally re-worked it live. Sounds great.

Built to Spill - Rearrange
It's new. They just released a single, so... yeah, that's what this song is.

Architecture in Helsinki - Heart it Races (YACHT's Should I coo Mix)
I'm not that familiar with them still but I love this song a lot and I love Yacht.

Damien Jurado - Pink Moon (Nick Drake Cover)
mmm... Damien is so good.

Cloud Cult - Mr. Tambourine Man (Live at KEXP)
What an amazing cover. Seriously, if you didn't know you probably couldn't tell it was live. It's on the upcoming Live at KEXP Volume 3 which you should check out here: www.kexp.org. I'm glad this is finally getting released.
Also you should listen to KEXP.

Eye <3 Hip Hop

Time for my lengthy hip-hop post. This is the most I'll have written in a blog I think. For the longest time this year I wasn't really listening to as much Hip-Hop. Nothing grabbed my attention, and I pretended I was still a hip-hop junky by just listening to Atmosphere and MF Doom from time to time (not to say there's anything wrong with listening to them). But just the other night, I put on Danger Mouse and Jemini's Ghetto Pop Life and everything came back. I spent a good few hours in my room digging through my favorite from Wu-Tang, Lyrics Born, Blackalicious and Jurassic 5. I got the soul back! I was so happy, and I still am. I feel like a got a part of me back that was missing awhile.
If you're not really into hip-hop or one of those people who don't listen to it, like at all then I'm aiming to totally change your mind and open your eyes to show you how beautiful it can really be. Sample everything here and listen to it very closely.
I feel a lot of the hip-hop I hear now isn't really hip-hop. It's good but it's strayed away from the real soul of the music is gone. Don't get me wrong, I like Bus Driver and Spank Rock a lot but i feel like they just took parts of hip-hop and pushed it into another subgenre, but I stand behind them 100 percent because artists like them are really pushing music forwards. But I'm here to talk about the real traditional style of MC and DJ Hip-Hop.
I'll start with the first hip-hop album I ever bought, Jurassic 5's "Quality Control". This album changed my life. I heard the Influence and it was something entirely new. Until then all I had heard was Eminem and whatever other shit was playing at the end of the 90's. I was into good hip-hop before I was into good other music. My favorite bands were Linkin Park, Black Eyed Peas (yeah, I loved Elephunk. Wierd.), Jurassic, and Slipknot. I was an odd kid. But that's not the point, the point is Quality Control is still one of the greatest hip-hop albums ever. From front to back the one thing that this album has most is soul and flavor. You can tell by their energy how passionate all members in the group are. The flows are so nice, the 4 MC's compliemnt eachother perfectly and the chemistry is excellent. Here are some of my favorite tracks off that album.
The Influence
Great Expectations
Monkey Bars

Now instead of going on about sperate albums I'm just going to throw down a ton of tracks and talk about those

Lyrics Born - Do That There (Young Einstein Remix)
Oh my lord! Do you hear what he's saying? LB is one of the best MC's of all time, I think. He can sing and rap and he's got some ridiculous lines. This song doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but that doesn't matter. This is him just getting loose and having fun. I recomend you read the lyrics along with the song, it makes it about 10 times more fun. He can cover just about anything, check the Last Trumpet if you don't know already.


Danger Mouse and Jemini - The Only One
This isn't that old, but to me it screams "classic". This kind of song is timeless. That bassline hooks me everytime and then when the verse busts out it gets so live. According to wikipedia they're working on another album which would be great. While Danger Mouse gets around, this is Jemini's only major release, which is a shame because he's got a great style.

Blackalicious - Make You Feel That Way
If this track doesn't make you feel good I don't know what will. For a lot of people I know this is one of the tracks that made them realize hip-hop isn't always as the media portrays it. Plus Gift of Gab is one of my favorite MC's around. To appreciate his raw talent here's a link for the lyrics so you can read a long with the song. Lyrics

Atmosphere - Between the Lines
Atmosphere is also a great gateway drug. They did the Warped Tour and hooked all the angsty teens. Slug's at his best when he's telling stories, which is why this is one of my favorite tracks ever. There's a really powerful theme in the three stories in this song. Plus the beat is nice. Lyrics

The Roots - Act Too (Love of My Life)
Things Fall Apart is the best Roots album in my opinion and this is the best song off that album, so by definition this is my favorite Roots song. Ft. Common. The whole album has a really amazing vibe and groove to it, the production soudns so clean and amazing. I really wish they kept pumping out albums like this.

Well I didn't write as much as I thought I would. I hope you enjoyed this because starting now there's going to be lots more variety in my music posts, and probably more hip-hop.

On another note, I just want to boast about how I will be seeing Wu-Tang Clan at Bumbershoot this year (also Lyrics Born)! I am so excited you don't even know. The whole thing will be a blast, and I will report back with a very long blog recapping the whole three days.

I'm feeling electric!

Today I was going to do a hip-hop related blog, cause I was in my room last night totally digging into Wu-Tang and Lyrics Born, but I find it's easier to blog about what you're listening to at the moment and today I've been really digging electro type grooves and stuff along the lines of Daedelus and J Dilla. Chill out music. Pretty straight forward, I'm just toing to talk about songs I like and why.


J Dilla - Nothing Like This
Jay Dee is one hell of a producer. I can't say I get into all of his stuff, and while his death is tragic I feel he's been overhyped a little. For me each song is hit or miss with him. This song is a huge hit with me. I don't even know where the vocals come from or if they're even sampled but they sound great. One of my favorite things about this track is how it has two vibes going on at once (atleast for me). The pounding drums get me really hyped and vamped up, while the instrumentation in the background is totally soothing. Thank you Stones Throw.
Buy Chrome Children.

Sia - Breathe Me (Ulrich Schnaus Remix)
One of the bonus tracks of Sia's solo album. The originals good but the two remixes I feel are better (the other's a Four Tet remix). Not too much to say here, it's just a cool track. Very cinimatic.
Buy the Colour and the Shape

Madvillain - Great Day (Four Tet Remix)
I've already talked about MF Doom a few times I think. Madvillainy is my favorite hip-hop album ever. This tracks not on there... Whatever. Madvillain's great. THis remix is great. Four Tet is cool. This song has one of my favorite Doom lines ever, just listen for it:
"Last wish, I wish I had two more wishes
And I wish they fix the door to the Matrix, its mad glitches
Spit so many verses sometime my jaw twitches
One thing this party could use is more *ahem*
Booze."
Buy Madvillainy


Daedelus - Something Bells (ft. Pigeon John and Busdriver)
This track is so nuts! I can't stop listening to it. Pigeon John and Busdrivers flows are so different but they work together like lemonade and summer... or other stuff that make the other really good. They go in and out so much you lose track of who's who. And the instrumental, don't even get me started. I have a hard time describing music, and this track's especially hard to capture, but I think that's a good thing. I guess I'd have to call it frantic, but maintained, whatever that means.
Buy Deny the Day's Demise

Caribou - Melody Day
I just heard about Caribou yesterday from my pla Justin, but I've already listened to this track a lot. He was hyped about this song Sunsesame, which I couldn't find, but I got this one and it's pretty great. Apparantly it came out this year... I'll check these guys out more, for sure, especially cause they're coming to town in October.
Buy Andorra

Also, Alex showed me this song by Honeyroot that I've been really getting into lately. Head over to his blog for it, it's really rea: bekindandremind.blogspot.com
That's all for today.

Local Music

Happy one week anniversary! I made it this far, hopefully we'll be celebrating our annual anniversary. I don't see why not.
Today I was looking back at some of the songs I posted and realized they were all probably from guys you've heard of before. I really hoped I'd venture into unknown musical territories with this blog and introduce you to new music. So I'm going to talk about some music from Seattle that you may not know about. No Built to Spill or Death Cab or any of those big guys. I hope you like.

First up
BOAT: I was going to do this blog today on just BOAT because I love them so much and haven't been able to stop listening to them this past week. I saw them a week ago at the Vera Project for the release of their new CD "Let's Drag Our Feet!" and they were stellar (that's also where the picture at the top came from). Super poppy and catchy with loads of hooks in every song. I'm cathing them again at this years Capitol Hill Block Party (which you can expect a lengthy blog afterwards, on the festival with pictures and MP3's. Oo boy, I'm excited). Without further ado here are some songs:
Greasedip Hairlip
The Fercious Sounds of Lobsters and Snakes
Elephant Ears
Buy Let's Drag Our Feet!


Velella Velella: I saw them live at new years a few years back and downloaded what I could. I'll admit I haven't bought their CD yet. I probably should, cause they're really good. For the most part they're instrumental with dancey and ambient instrumentation and some of the coolest bass licks around. Live they have a gazillion intruments on stage and they're always passing things back and forth. They get some crazy sounds that I really dig.
Hey Cuz
Alex Boom Selector
Do Not Fold/Do Not Bend
Buy Bay of Biscay


Natalie Portman's Shaved Head: These guys have been getting a lot of hype around town for awhile. Another band I'm catching at this year's Capitol hill Block Party, and Bumbershoot for that matter. Goofy and dancey to the max. These guys bring the heat, their live shows are so fun. If you like fun and dancing (and who doesn't?) then you'll love these guys. It's pretty wierd actually, my brother and the guitarist, David Price, were really close friends in elemntary and middle school and we're still really good friends with their family, and I watch their hosue and dogs while the family's out of town. They just recently picked up a record deal and are working on a full length debut. Expect to hear about them soon, they are rising stars.
Unfortunately there's no where to buy their music right now, but here are some MP3's.
Beard Lust (Demo)
Doing Coke (Demo)
Sophisticated Side Ponytail (Demo)


Tiny Vipers: Not that familiar with her still, but I saw her awhile ago, and I'm seeing her again pretty soon. She plays really original music with just an acoustic guitar, but I wouldn't call her Singer-songwriter. Her songs have really big and vague themes that she says aren't personal. I always imagine mythology when I listen to her music, which is probably not what any of the songs are about, but to me that's waht my brain clicks to. Sub Pop just put out her debut which you can buy here. Here's some demos.
Shipwreck
They Might Follow You

On another note, I just got a new sidebar thing up of some of the other blogs that I read. You've probably heard of a few, but I really recomend Be Kind and Remind. It's my pla Alex's and we're both struggling for readers... I bet we have the exact same readers, but whatever. He advertised for me, so I thought I would return the favor. But besides him cool, his blog's really great also.

I hope I give you a cabby.

What's a cabby? I know you're wondering that. It's a word we were trying to describe the feeling you get when you shiver, but it's a good kind of shiver. The kind of shiver you get after you it's really cold and you get in bed under a blanket and get all toasty, or, I always get babby's from really powerful songs that make me feel good. When people say "this song gives me the shivers" they're talking about a cabby! I hope you understand what I'm talking about.
So to stress my point furhter I'm going to post 6 songs that give me huuuuuge cabby's and explain how I feel when I listen to them so maybe you can come closer to understanding the wonderful feelings that come from cabby's.
Listen to these songs LOUD

Björk - Joga
This song is so huge. Björk probably gave me the most cabby's that I ever got at a show. Even though I was very very far back and couldn't see much the music was just so epic, I just got so many goosebumps. This song is questionably her best in my oppinion.
Buy Homogenic

Wolf Parade - I'll Believe Anything
One of my all time favorite songs. It's so loud and rambunctious, I always crank this song up when I'm alone in my room and march around screaming along to the words. Once the loud part kicks in that's when the cabby comes. When I'm on the bus and listening to my headphones I'm sure I get a few stares when I listen to this song, because it's just about impossible not to move when I listen to this song.
Buy Apologies to the Queen Mary

Pixies - Where is My Mind
I don't love the Pixies as much as a lot of people, but I still think they're pretty gosh darn good. I remember watching that Coachella documentary and when the Pixies stepped on and played this song. Evenn on DVD the effect on me was huge. Seeing a crowd full of people cooing "ooo-ooo". That is probably the greatest cabby I've ever experienced. I lay on my couch just laughing cause it was so good. It lasted almost the whole song! It was amazing.
Buy Surfer Rosa

Vast Aire and MF Doom - Super Friends (Edan Remix)
Oh I love me some Doom. MF Doom is easily one of my favorite MC's, up there with Gift of Gab and Lyrics Born. I actually haven't heard the original of this track, but I don't think it can be better than this remix. Edan's beat is just so great, it sounds a little jazzy but noisy and electronic.

The Cure - Mint Car
This is one of the happiest songs ever. Another song that makes me look wierd when I listen to my headphones because I usually start running and jumping with happiness.
Buy Galore

Zero 7 - Speed Dial no. 2
The melodies on this song are just perfect. I think a lot of people are nervous about Zero 7 because it's too poppy and seems like... I don't know any adult contemporary artists, but whatever, this song is great. as I said in my previous post, this whole album is amazing. Get it.
Buy When It Falls


Are you getting a cabby? Do you even know what I'm talking about anymore? If you have any further questions about cabby's just send me a comment and ask me about it.

July July!

(Getting tomorrow's post done today)

Oh my gosh, if only you knew how hot it is here in Seattle. I know there are places that get this kind of heat almost every day of the year but for someone who doesn't spend much time in hot places and is used to the rain, this is really unbearable. I'm rolling around in my bed at night in a pool of sweat. Ugh.... But Summer does have it's peaks right? Of course!!! For one I don't have to go to school and I have no obligations (almost). Also I get to make summer playlists for myself and soak up the sun in ways that I see fit like walks to the library or bike rides or staying out until 10 o' clock without the sun setting (I know, that's ridiculous isn't it).

I know my blog's been pretty average and mediocre so far and not too original, I think that has something to do with the summer. Something about the summer makes me listen to lots of, what you call indie music. Normally I'm way more varied in my taste. I loooove hip-hop and I always considered myself pretty varied with my music taste which was the main reason I thought my blog would go over well, it would be a little different. So with this summer playlist I'm going to try and throw in some of my favorite "non-indie" songs (but it's pretty hard for me to make a summer playlist without the Long Winters, or the Decemberists, just cause).

Also I get to use this as a chance to premiere a brand new song by Benjamin Gibbard! It's a Beat Happening cover that was done for a soundtrack for a new Kurt Cobain documentary which you can read about here. It's called Indian Summer, and it just so happens to go perfectly with my playlist.

EDIT: I had to take down the Ben Gibbard track, by label's request.


1. The Long Winters - Pushover
2. The Decemberists - July, July (Live at Soho)
3. Ben Gibbard - Indian Summer
4. G. Love and Special Sauce - Making Amends
5. De La Soul - Eye Know
6. Presidents of the United States of America - Love Delicatessen
7. CSS - Pretend We're Dead (L7 Cover)
8. BOAT - (I'm a) Donkey for Your Love
9. Sparklehorse - Some Sweet Day
10. Antony and the Johnsons - For Today I'm a Boy


Buy BOAT'S cd and support northwest talent.


Man, that just screams summer to me. Now go load these on your iPod and get tan!

Song Feature: Somersault

Today I want to share another of my favorite songs ever. I thought this would make a neat feature, every now and again I'll feature an album or a song. Today it's Somersault by Zero 7.
I love When it Falls, it's one of my favorite albums. It establishes such a relaxed mood and really acts as an escape. This song is the big hit from the album, but for good reason.
If you're unfamiliar with Zero 7 or Sia Furler then this is your chance to find out what you're missing. Sia's voiceis so mezmerizingly good and perfect. She knows when to do exactly what. Her solo stuff is pretty good but when backed by Zero 7 she's unstoppable.

I'm going to offer up 4 different versions of the song today. All these different versions make me love the song even more because it feels like the song is endless. Each version is incredibly different and just as good. I hope you enjoy.


(sorry the Danger Mouse remix isn't the best quality. I bought it on iTunes so I can't share without you logging into my account, but it's worth buying so I recomend you do so)

Somersault (Original)

Somersault (Danger Mouse Remix ft. MF Doom)

Somersault (Hot Chip Remix)

Somersault (Acoustic, Live at KEXP)

Wednsday Rarities

I'm not feeling so creative today so I figure I'll start this idea off... I just post not so common songs that I've collected over the years, and I'll do this every Wednsday. Stuff like covers, b-sides, live cuts and bootlegs, whatever I think is really cool and a little hard to find. This week I'll do an easy theme, covers!
Everyone loves covers, atleast I think they do. I do.

David Bazan - Waitin' for a Superman
It's simple and it's great. I've been listening to this a lot lately. Even if it's not the best take, or recording, I think that adds something to it. The way David's whistle sort of dies, and when he messes up the words, it adds a certain likability to the song. Like he's struggling to get through it. This song is great to fall sleep to.

Ben Gibbard - 26 is Too Soon (Kind of Like Spitting)
From a show Gibbard and Barnett did back in 2001. The whole show is great, you could probably find it somewhere online. Check hypemachine, it's worth it. My favorite part about this track is hearing the two at the end talk about the song with that cliche "no your version is much better" "no yours is". I would kill to go to that show, but back in 2001... jeez I don't even know what I was doing.

Flaming Lips and Cat Power - War Pigs (Black Sabbath)
umm... well I think it's pretty obvious why this one's really cool. War Pigs is a rad song, weather you admit it or not. And Cat Power is cool. This is live at Austin City Limits somewhere. You can find it on youtube somewhere if you desire the video.

Cocorosie - Ohio (Damien Jurado)
I love both of these artists to death. I was so excited when I saw this existed, and it's just as awesome as I thought it would be. The two are not exactly similar artists and I wouldn't have guessed Sierra and Bianca were fans of Damien, but they're pretty unpredictable.

Junip - The Ghost of Tom Joad (Bruce Springsteen)
I love Jose Gonzalez, and I haven't heard much of this side project but this track... ugh I'm tired of trying to describe songs. Just take the MP3's and be happy!

Buy Junip's "Black Refuge" EP


Also, I want to thank Dianna for making me a new banner that's way cooler than the one I made. She's quite a cool cat and is pretty good with a camera. Check her out: aphotyx.org

Connect the Dots: Xiu Xiu to Harvey Danger

So notice anything different? A new banner?
Yes! I made it. Do you like it? I do.
So here's a game I thought I'd try out. I'll connect a band that are considerably different to another band through collaborations, or things along those lines. Like that movie game where you connect actors by films they were in with other actors. I'm sure this has already been done but whatever, I'm giving you MP3's so be quiet.
So we'll start with Xiu Xiu, and end with Harvey Danger. But in the future how about I accept challenges, but it has to be possible. Don't name Beyonce and Yacht cause I'm pretty sure that's impossible. Think one through and send it in the comments and I'll do it next time I do this, with MP3's.
So here's the first one:

Xiu Xiu - Ceremony (New Order Cover)

Sunset Rubdown - Appistat Commander
Appistat Commander is a Xiu Xiu song which Sunset Rubdown played for their cover and remix album, which that New Order cover also appeared on. They also toured together and are kind of friends I think.

Wolf Parade - Disco Sheets
Spencer Krug is in Sunset Rubdown and Wolf Parade.

Hot Hot Heat - Bandages (The only hot hot heat song i like)
Dante DeCaro joined Wolf Parade after quitting the Hot Hot Heat.

Death Cab for Cutie - Transatlanticsm
Death Cab's Chris Walla produced the Hot Hot Heat's EP Knock Knock Knock

Harvey Danger - This is the Thrilling Conversation You've Been Waiting For
Sean Nelson sings on that Transatlanticsm track, and Ben Gibbard sings on this song.

+
Buy Transatlanticsm, one of my favorite albums of all time.


Wooooooah, 6 degrees of seperation, I didn't even think that out intentionally. OK so new rule, it has to be at most 6 degrees of spereation away.
Send me your ideas, but warning, I'll probably get stumped easily so send me something a little easier.

My hands are blue!

So the other day I was tie dying with some friends (which is tough! let me tell you.) Well I walked away with blue hands from the dye and it doesn't come off that easy. Also I may have ruined one of my favorite shirts and stained my pants. But whatever cause now I've got a sweet shirt and some ugly orange socks that look more like an out of control foot fungus than tie dye. Without furthur ado, here are some songs that help me cope with this new found blueness.

Alexi Murdoch - Blue Mind

Kind of Like Spiting - Blue Period

White Stripes - Blue Orchid

TV on the Radio - Blues from Down Here (live on KEXP)

There's only so much time you could waste on me.

Howdy! Welcome to the first post on my third blog attempt. This one I'm going to be pretty serious about, I'm pretty sure. It should be great! I've got everything a blog needs (not to toot my own horn). The only reason I didn't do this before was I didn't want to throw down money on file hosting. I think I've found a free solution (hotfilelinks.com (thank you Alex)).
A little about me, so you can get an idea of what'll be here. I live in Seattle.... man this sounds dumb. I'm actually not going to talk about me.
So I can't really tell you what to expect, I'll post songs and talk about music. Shows I go to, interesting stuff that happened... Expect hard work though! Just stay tuned.



Today I'll start with one of my favorite songs ever. My posts in future will be... umm i can't really think of a word for it, except better. This is just me warming up with posting.

Kind of Like Spitting - Birds of a Feather
I heard about them while browsing www.barsuk.com and knew Ben Gibbard was kind of a fan (Turns out a bit more than just a fan but friend and collaborator). Ben Barnett has such a raw style of songwriting it's a bit tough to swallow sometimes. It's the kind of music that needs your full attention (which is my favorite kind). KOLS's guitar licks are so ridiculous, they sound so easy and simple which is incredible because they're complicated and extremely difficult on guitar.
This song especially showcases a lot of my favorite things about KOLS. The guitar, the lyrics, Ben's voice... Solid, rough and beautiful. But not for everyone, I haven't got many friends into them, but I strongly recomend them to you if you like this track. Or if you know them, awesome, you've probably been into them longer than I have.
Unfortunately Ben's no longer music. He also played in the Thermals for awhile and lots of other bands but hasn't made anything since 2006's Thrill of the Hunt. I hope to hear something new soon, or just a reunion show.

Here's a link to buy one of my favorite albums.

For future refernce, comments of any sort are good. If you read I'd love to hear everything or anything you think. Just write me something.